COTTON 271 



the goods go to the jobber, and at last to the counter 

 in the dry goods store. What are profits here? 

 Sixteen thousand yards at 5 cents per yard cost 

 $800 ; that number of yards sold at 7^ cents brings 

 gross $1200 a profit as great to the retail merchant 

 as the price the farmer receives for his entire crop. 



THE CONTROL OF PRODUCTION 



Is it right for the producer to control the output 

 of his commodity ? Why not ? So long as supply 

 is more than demand, is it wrong in principle to 

 waste capital, and energy and life in producing it ? 

 More than this, 5,000,000 people are directly in- 

 terested in the production of cotton crops. When 

 you flood the market with raw material, and send it 

 forth in larger quantities than spindles can use, 

 you disturb the stability of trade and menace the 

 peace and happiness of these five million souls. 

 Is there no injury here ? Greater evils, moreover, 

 sweep over the land even in other directions if 

 more cotton is produced than can be used by a 

 consuming world. It is good business, good prac- 

 tice, good morals, to move supply and demand 

 along together, as they now move, and this can 

 continue only by controlling the supply, for the 

 present, increasing it as demand calls for more. 



So long as the manufacturer, the broker, the 

 merchant live in costly houses ; so long as the spin- 

 ner, the weaver, the clerks enjoy comforts in dress 

 and live easily, so long should no one. complain 

 that the cotton farmer and his tenant likewise have 

 similar comforts and luxuries. 



